Friday, 28 August 2009

I think most kids after watching Toy Story started to believe that their toys came to life after they left the room. It was such a great cartoon that I think people from all ages could appreciate. Part 2 was also successful and I can't wait for 3 to come out!Toy Story was the first featured film to use only computer generated imagery. After its release a lot of industries were interested in the technology used for the film. Graphic chip makers wanted to create similar imagery for personal computers, game developers learned how to apply the animation skills to video games, robotic researchers were interested in building artificial intelligence into their machines that compared to the lifelike characters in the film.All critics argue that Disney movies have grown-up stories that masquerade as children cartoons. The main theme behind Toy Story that most critics seem to agree on is humanism. Buzz believes he is a space ranger, directed by star command. He represents the believers in our world, who believe that they are directed by God. He believes he is real, and not just a toy. Woody however, believes he is just a toy and is content with it.Eventually as the story goes on, Buzz discovers that he is in fact, just a toy, and begins to feel worthless. He has no purpose or value anymore. Finally he decides that although he is just a toy he still serves a purpose. He accepts the nature of his existence and saves the day in the terms of the materiel, scientific and humanistic universe.

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

Close to graduating, its time to start thinking about my own identity and style. In a competitive field such as graphic design, it's important to show differentiation and to stand out. A business card can be a representation of those things. More importantly, it gives a first impression of your style and who you are as a designer.These are some of the business cards that i loved. Each one is unique, and highly relevant to it's field in terms of idea, material, layout, typography... The ideas never end. It's amazing how you can do so much with a small piece of paper. Looking at many different business cards got me thinking of my own style, how much I've developed of it over the past 2 years, and where I'd like to take it over the next term. Each of the cards is an inspiration towards a different style that i would like to experiment with and apply in my major project. I think if i had to choose one of the cards that is most likely to be mine, it would be the first. Just type on blank lined paper.

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

This was an ad released last year by Zain, a highly successful telecom. company in the Middle East. They always have great ads. This one in particular was such a hit. It has a great meaning that had nothing to do with telecom. but nonetheless worked in their advantage.The ad was directed to children to conserve water. It tells a story about the life cycle (and adventures) of a single drop of water, how it evaporates to steam and turns into a drop of rain. It finally tells the kids that "water is gold" and basically, don't waste it. The song was written by Heba Mishari Hamada from Kuwait.All the kids loved this ad, they'd wait for it to come on TV so they'd sing along or dance to it. Soon enough it caught on with the grown ups too. It became really popular so fast. All the parents, brothers/sisters, even aunts and uncles came to know it from the kids. Its such a catchy song, everyone was singing it. Kids were nagging parents wanting to watch on YouTube. A lot of people had it as ring tones, and they'd bluetooth it to all of their friends. The ad itself is really cute, highly relevant, and completely successful.When a brand releases an ad like this; innocent, great moral... it gives the public a positive idea of the what kind of brand it is. People may associate the good qualities of an ad like this to the brand itself, thus trusting it more. And when it comes to a competitive field like telecom., trust would be an important factor for a customer to differentiate between one company and the other.

Friday, 14 August 2009

We thought the drumming gorilla was random, and then we saw this. Who knew randomness was and effective strategy for advertising? Cadbury did. In their case drumming gorillas and kids with funny eyebrows = selling more chocolate. Which is exactly what happened. One of the things I think is also effective about this ad is its attention to detail. The whole setting for example follows a certain colour scheme that goes with Cadbury’s brand. + the balloon was a great touch.

Don't you just "love the whole world" after watching this? Plus, you cant help it and you just have to sing along! I think this video has a lot of impact. I know it did on me, I can't get "Boom De Ya Da" out of my head! When that happens you know the add is successful. I love the potential ideas behind it, like promoting peace and unity...